Children's Home run by The Beeches UK limited in Peterborough

Inspection report children's home: SC466786 1 SC466786 Registered provider: The Beeches UK Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children’s home provides care for four children with a learning disability, autism spectrum disorder and other associated needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this home on 10 December 2020 to carry out an assurance visit. The report is published on Ofsted’s website.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 29 October 2019

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: SC466786 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/10/2019 Full Good 28/01/2019 Full Good 11/05/2017 Full Good 10/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children's home: SC466786 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There were four children living at this home at the time of inspection. The children receive individualised support which enhances their opportunities and experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The relationships between the staff and the children are strong and established. The staff have natural and warm interactions with the children that help the children to feel at ease. Despite the restrictions arising from COVID-19, the children benefit from a range of stimulating activities that include cycle rides and shopping trips. Consequently, children are provided with meaningful experiences that support their well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children make good progress with their independence and self-help skills. The staff help the children to develop these skills using individualised approaches that are adapted to the children’s developmental stages. This supports their transitions towards adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children attend education regularly. The staff work closely with the children’s schools to ensure that the children continue to make progress towards their education targets. The staff offer good support to ensure high levels of attendance. This reduces barriers to children’s learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff and managers support children to spend time with their families. Staff understand family dynamics and build effective relationships with families. In one instance, staff travel a considerable distance to support visits for a child. As a result of the staff’s support, children are sustaining relationships with the people who are important to them.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The effective implementation of good-quality individual risk assessments actively ensures that children become safer. The staff provide familiar and established routines that help children to feel secure.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

When physical interventions have been necessary, the interventions have been short and designed to keep the children safe. The manager checks that staff’s responses reflect the child’s identified needs and behaviour management plan. This encourages the staff to provide individualised care in a way that best supports the child.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

When an allegation was made against a staff member, it was suitably managed. The child was consulted and appropriate referrals were made. This provides assurance that there are suitable systems in place to safeguard the children. Inspection report children's home: SC466786 4 The staff help children to use the internet safely. One child worked alongside staff to write an online safety agreement. This helps children understand what appropriate online behaviour is and supports safe use of the internet.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The management team’s oversight of recruitment records for agency staff is not always effective. When the manager’s monitoring systems identified shortfalls in records, required actions were not followed up. This has resulted in staff members with known deficits in their recruitment checks working at the home. This does not adequately reduce the potential for unsuitable adults to gain employment at the home.

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good

The manager is suitably experienced and holds a relevant level 5 qualification. Management and staff capacity have improved recently with less reliance on the use of agency staff. There is reduced need for permanent staff to undertake overtime hours, although recruitment vacancies remain. However, overall, the staff morale is positive and the staff said that they feel supported.

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good

The quality of internal reviews and external monitoring requires improvement. The independent visitor’s report does not include regular consultation with families and placing authorities. The manager’s monitoring does not pick up on inaccuracies in the independent visitor’s reports. The manager’s review of care also fails to consider consultations with children, families and external professionals. These shortfalls reduce the overall capacity of the management team to fully understand the strengths and weaknesses of the home.

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good

A training programme with a range of courses to enhance staff skills is in place. However, not all the courses have been undertaken by the staff team. Important training in autism spectrum disorders and alternative communication systems has not been provided. Given the relative inexperience of staff, this shortfall fails to ensure that all the staff have the necessary skills to support the children’s individual needs.

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good

The staff benefit from child-focused supervisions. Regularly used agency staff now receive reflective supervisions. However, one staff member has not received an appraisal within the required timescales. The appraisals for other staff are of poor quality. This limits the staff’s opportunity to identify further development areas and suitably reflect on their annual work objectives. This does not ensure that they have the necessary support and guidance that they should have.

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good

The children’s records provide clear and detailed evidence of their experiences and progress. Inspection report children's home: SC466786 5

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that the staff access training in autism spectrum disorders and alternative communication systems. 30 July 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform; 30 June 2021 Inspection report children's home: SC466786 6 full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that agency staff have had the required checks.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires. (Regulation 44 (1) (2)(a)) 25 June 2021

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (2)(b)(c) (5)) 30 July 2021

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that all staff have their performance and fitness to carry out their role formally appraised at least once annually. This appraisal should consider, when reasonable and practical, the views of other professionals who have worked with the staff member over the year and children in the home’s care. (‘Guide to children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5) Inspection report children's home: SC466786 7

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. Inspection report children's home: SC466786 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: The Beeches UK Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 212 Ballards Lane, SBCH House, London N3 2LX

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Rebecca Ouellani

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Inspector

Mark Anderton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: SC466786 9 to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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